Cashew Pieces (Organic Raw, Hand Cracked Vietnamese)

Nourishing, rich, and satisfying, with complete protein, heart-healthy Oleic acid, and a hearty dose of minerals and vitamins, these nearly-RAW organic cashews are crisp, buttery, and delicious, perfect for snacking by the handful.

Typical cashew-shelling machinery uses high-heat process that ends up "cooking" the cashew (at best) or scorching them (at worst), damaging proteins, enzymes, and oxidizing the cashew's delicate essential fatty acids. Even the best organic cashews can look yellowed and taste bland, soapy, bitter, or funky. Oftentimes, roasting and salting is the only way to cover up these flavors — but nothing can hide the negative health impacts of oxidized fatty acids.

We scoured the planet to find a source that uses the least amount of heat for the least amount of time and discovered these nearly-RAW Vietnamese cashews, which are quick-steamed in order to preserve their fresh flavor and rich nutrient content.

You'll love them in trail mixes, salads, smoothies, and cookies, or as a base in creamy non-dairy recipes and vegan desserts.

Fresh flavor and perfect balance of crunchy/creamy texture

Careful processing ensures incredible flavor and vitality

Never roasted

Quick-steam process protects interior fats & proteins

Long-lasting fresh flavor: oils naturally resist oxidation

Organic and Kosher certified

More Details

Source & Process

Purity from the source

Essential Living Foods is committed to providing foods of the highest quality, purity, and nutrient density, and every ingredient is sustainably sourced to improve the health of the planet and its people.

raw cashews

The Best Buy

In order to provide a pure, high-quality organic cashew (at a more modest price than our hand-cracked Verified RAW Balinese cashews) we scoured the planet and sampled countless cashews to find a source that uses the least amount of heat for the least amount of time during shelling.

When we tasted our Vietnamese cashews, we knew they were the right ones. They are so fresh and delicious, with a pleasant aroma and smooth, clean flavor — they're the closest thing we've tasted to our RAW Balinese cashews.

Crack one in half and you'll see a clean white center that fades only slightly toward the edges — a line showing where the quick-steam cracking process has slightly heated the oils, starches, and proteins at the surface. The cashews don't reach more than 50˚C (about 122˚F).

Sustainably sourced

Naturally, our source — a cooperative of family farms who have been cultivating cashew trees for over 30 years — is certified organic and kosher. In order to encourage high yields and excellent quality cashews, they recently adopted a composting system (financed by our partners) that uses locally-sourced guano and vegetable matter.

Unfortunately, global warming is already impacting cashew yields throughout Asia, with some regions showing a decrease of 60% compared to just 10 years ago, and many farmers are switching to growing rubber for the Chinese car industry. By purchasing this premium product, you are voting for a more sustainable future for Asia and for our planet.

Our farming partners go through their plantation during harvest season three time a week to collect the nuts. The cashews are sun-dried for a few days before being brought to a central processing facility, where they are further sun-dried to reach optimal moisture content without growth of mold or fungus.

fresh cashews

raw cashew harvest

Really Raw

RAW Foodists are well aware of the slippery usage of terms like "raw" and "cold-pressed" in food marketing. Many "raw" nuts, for example, may still be steamed, boiled, or exposed to high temperatures during shelling or drying, but are labeled "raw" simply because they aren't roasted.

Cashews are notoriously hard to harvest - their shell contains an irritant (similar to poison ivy!) To open it safely and efficiently usually requires high heat, but these techniques "cook" the cashew at best, or scorch it at worst, damaging proteins, enzymes, and oxidizing the cashew's delicate essential fatty acids (making them less tasty and less healthy).

Our source exclusively uses solar-drying, and has developed a quick-steam process for shelling that raises the cashew's temperature to no more than 50˚C (about 122˚F).

At this point, the shells are ready for hand-cracking, using a special scissor-like tool, and the finished cashews are quickly vacuum-sealed and shipped to our air-conditioned facility in Southern California.

The Ripple Effect

You are powerful

Hand Cracked Vietnamese Organic Cashew Pieces are your vote for a better world. Across the planet, we seek the finest superfoods and pay a premium for the exceptional craftsmanship of small farmers, cooperatives, and indigenous communities. We also give back 1% to local non-profits like Amazon Watch, who protect the land and the communities who depend on it.

Every Product has an origin

and an impact

You stand at the finish line of an amazing journey with a miraculous beginning: Soil, Water, Sunshine...and Seed. With care and craftsmanship, Life unfolds, blossoms, and thrives. No chemicals needed. Just skill, hard work, and love for the land.

Every point on this map is a place that you touch. A farm. A community. An economy. An ecosystem.

Raw Cashew Nutrition Facts

Anacardium occidentale

Cashews are a hunger-slaying complete protein in a relatively low-carb package, providing nourishing, heart-healthy fats with a hearty dose of antioxidants, minerals, and vitamins.

Excellent addition to low-carb diets and ketogenic weight-loss plans

Satisfying, creamy heart-healthy fats

Hearty dose of minerals, vitamins, and antioxidant co-factors

Rich in Oleic acid (the monounsaturated omega 9 in olive oil)

Provides essential omega 6 fatty acid in fresh, unoxidized condition

Relatively high in phytosterols (for cardiovascular and immune health)

Very good source of copper

Good source of manganese, magnesium, and phosphorous.

Supplies Vitamin K, Selenium, Zinc, Iron, Potassium, and B Vitamins

Source of carotenoid antioxidants

Very low in natural sugars, fairly low-carb

The remaining fats in casheware the saturated fats palmitic acid (9%) and stearic acid (7%). Saturated fats have a negative reputation for interfering with cardiovascular health, but they should not be shunned entirely, especially in nuts, which provides a wide variety of other nutrient co-factors that actually benefit cardiovascular health (including sterols: see below).

Stearic acid, for example, has been shown to have no impact on levels of blood cholesterol (Kris-Etherton, 1997).

Palmitic acid has been likened to trans fats for a supposed negative impact on insulin, but this is based on studies involving diets of exclusively palmitic acid, without any other fats consumed. A Canadian study (French et all, 2002) showed that high consumption of palmitic acid does not raise cholesterol as long as linoleic acid is also being consumed. (On the other hand, combining palmitic acid with trans-fats definitely had a negative effect on LDL/HDL cholesterol ratios.) Coincidentally, nature's wisdom has endowed cashew with a perfectly complementary mix of both Palmitic and Linoleic acids.

Phytosterols

Another reason that nuts are widely considered heart-healthy, despite their higher fatty acid content, is that they contain phytosterols, which actually help to lower cholesterol levels by blocking absorption of cholesterol in the digestive system. New research is also beginning to suggest that sterols may help to balance the immune system and reduce inflammation. Cashews are relatively high in sterols, with about 53 mg in a 1/4 cup serving.

Minerals

Cashews are a fairly good source of several important trace minerals related to metabolism and cell function, some of which play an important role in the formation of the body's own antioxidants.

In particular, cashews are a very good source of copper, and a good source of manganese, magnesium, and phosphorous. Also supplied in meaningful quantities are Vitamin K, Selenium, Zinc, Iron, Potassium, and B Vitamins.

Magnesium is an alkaline mineral necessary for heart and muscle function, for arterial relaxation, and for proper mental focus. Magnesium balances brain chemistry, builds strong bones, and has been linked to increased happiness and improved mood — it even relieve constipation. Much of the magnesium in your body actually resides in your skeleton, both for structural reasons and as a reserve for nerves, muscles, and blood to draw on when needed. Magnesium is a counterbalance to Calcium, the neural activation mineral. Essentially, Magnesium helps to keep nerves, muscles, and blood vessels in a relaxed state, possibly helping to prevent cramps, nervous exhaustion, headache, and more. Studies show that Magnesium can reduce or mitigate incidents of migraine, heart attacks, and asthma attacks, while lowering blood pressure. Unfortunately, more than 80% of Americans suffer from magnesium deficiency, so enjoy your cashews!

Manganese is central to building bone, cartilage, and connective tissue, while also helping iron to oxygenate the blood.

Iron is a crucial component of the cardiovascular system, allowing red blood cells to carry oxygen from the lungs to every single cell in the body. Iron is also a crucial component in the body's manufacturing of enzymes and is used as an intracellular energy transporter.

Zinc is vital to a healthy immune system, liver, pancreas, and skin, and it is crucial in sexual development, fertility, and cell growth. It is also a central building block in hundreds of enzymes throughout the body.

B Vitamins are central to healthy nervous system and cellular energy functions, and Vitamin K is a vital part of blood and vascular healing.

Copper, the superstar mineral in cashews, is a crucial component in blood oxygenation, skeletal and connective tissue formation, skin health and healing (it's a major component of the latest skincare products), immune function, and even cardiovascular flexibility and resilience.

All of these vitamins and minerals play important roles in supporting normal body function and health, but Copper and Selenium are notably involved in the body's antioxidant defense system (see below).

Antioxidants

Copper is a co-factor for many vital enzymes, particularly Superoxide Dismutase, the body's home-grown cellular antioxidant. Superoxide Dismutase is a crucial component of all cellular function, but it is particularly important for preventing or soothing inflammation in the body. Other minerals involved in producing Superoxide Dismutase include Manganese and Zinc, both of which are amply provided by Cashews.

Another notable, important micronutrient in cashews is selenium, which is under investigation for its potent protective effects. Selenium works by helping the body to make another antioxidant enzyme called glutathione-peroxidase. Having sufficient blood selenium levels is linked to a lower risk of breast cancer, prostate cancer, coronary artery disease, and liver cirrhosis, while studies have shown that in populations with low selenium intake, cancer rates are higher. One study linked selenium supplementation with a 48% to 63% lower cancer rate (especially prostate, colorectal, and lung cancer).

In addition to these antioxidant-cofactors, cashews (like most nuts) supply actual antioxidants with fairly well researched impacts on human health. A 1/4 cup of cashews (about 34 grams) provides 8.4 mcg of lutein and zeaxanthin — important carotenoid antioxidants related to eye health. They are literally incorporated into the retina, where they help to prevent damage from high-energy light. Various studies have suggested that carotenoid intake, particularly lutein and zeaxanthin, may help to protect against age-related macular degeneration.

Weight Loss

Cashews may be beneficial as part of a comprehensive weight loss program involving exercise, reduced carbohydrate consumption, and increased consumption of healthy fats. Despite the popular trend toward low-fat diets, a 2007 study showed that eating nuts two or more times a week was better for maintaining body weight than avoiding nuts. Because of their higher fat content and very low sugar content, cashews help contribute to feelings of satiety, so they are a natural first step in any weight-loss diet, potentially helping to diminish cravings for less-healthy, carb-rich foods.

A Note on Freshness

Due to their high content of monounsaturated oleic acid and saturated fats, cashews stay fresh longer than typical nuts and seeds. However, because they also contain polyunsaturated fats (linoleic acid), which are very sensitive to heat and oxidation, they should be treated like any other nut and stored in a cool, dry, air-tight container. Under these conditions, cashews will stay fresh for up to six months.

WAYS TO USE RAW CASHEW PIECES

Raw Cashew Recipes

Crunchy, creamy, clean and satisfying, these cashews are perfect in cakes, cookies, RAW dessert recipes, smoothies, trail mixes,or just straight from the bag. Blend them for a creamy substitute for dairy, or ferment the cream for a rich and delicious cashew cheese!

Recipes

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